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Hello backers, we are back with another update and today we have something special for you! Check it out!
New stretch goal
What differentiates the game from the book, comic book or movie is the ability to make decisions – Thorgal: The Board Game is a game full of decisions and we wanted to show this already at the campaign stage.
Read the comic below and vote for one of two options. Depending on the decision you make, one of the two stretch goals we prepared will be included in the box with the base game.
Do you prefer to fight with the monsters? If so, perhaps you are interested in unlocking upgraded – super fancy – bits for enemies in the game! Or perhaps you prefer more adventures and options – pick an ally miniature to your games!
In 2 days we will close the poll and find out what you have decided. One of the stretch goals will be included in the box with the game and will be given to all backers, while the other will stay as an add-on for those of you who prefer to have it in the game!
FAQ
How about the gameplay?
Many of you ask about the gameplay of the game. We are preparing a live stream event for you – gameplay with the designer of the game (in English). We will do a live stream on Portal Games YouTube channel. It will also be available to watch later.
Here is the link to the channel.
How the Book of Tales look like?
We made the Book of Tales available for you in TTS mode for the game, but we understand that not all of you use Tabletop Simulator. So we prepared for you this short PDF file with the fragment of the book. The final book with all scenarios is about 100 pages thick!
Can you show the Winter Demon in more detail?
Here is a closer look at the additional scenario! That the small artwork asset from stretch goal was not presenting the beautiful scenario in its full glory, so here it is!
Meet the team
Today we talk about Mateusz, AKA Kopik. Kopik has been with Portal Games since 2019, he is a super-talented art designer. He is responsible for the layout of many Portal Games titles, like Pret-a-Porter, Empires of the North, Imperial Miners, Batman: Everybody Lies, and many more.
Mateusz’s favorite Thorgal book is Volume 29: The Hermit of Skellingar.
Besides working for Portal Games and playing games, Mateusz has a ton of other hobbies and passions. He is a passionate video gamer, a cartoonist with a very successful page on FB with super funny cartoons (only in Polish, though!), and he also plays football. And trust me, as I played with him many times, he is an outstanding midfielder with a great pass.
Rules
From the beginning for players to have the possibility of character development during the game. And just like in Death May Die, we didn’t have an entire campaign for it, we didn’t have the possibility of development between games because Thorgal has, like Robinson Crusoe, individual scenarios. The entire character development process had to be closed in one game.
We added locations and heroes in every scenario that allowed players to train and develop. They could go to specific locations and improve their character. They could spend one of their precious actions on development.
I say precious actions because that’s how it is in Thorgal. The scenarios are short and tight, every action is worth its weight in gold, and there’s no time for some random side-quests. If you’re training in horseback riding, you might not have enough time to gather allies in a nearby village. If you’re training archery, you might not make it to the far-off blacksmith’s tower on the map. If you want to gain one thing, you might lose another.
Choosing the right moment to take a break from the main plot and gain a few XP is key!
In Thorgal, players can also acquire Experience Points (XP) and develop their characters during combat. When a player fights an opponent, they can try to arrange their attack tiles in such a way as to cover the XP symbol and get free development. During the fight, they learn something new and immediately develop. Often, this comes at the cost of injury. Often, to acquire XP, the player must choose to arrange their attack tiles in such a way that, by covering the XP icon, they also expose themselves to an attack from the opponent. What choice will you make? Will you sacrifice yourself to grab a few Experience Points?
Players look for these short moments of a slower pace, moments when another player must unlock the location, convince an ally to cooperate, and we have that short moment to take a break, grab XP and then quickly get back to the main story. Players know how important it is to develop and how important it is to have better fighting and exploration options, but at the same time, they know they must do it in parallel with the mission, in parallel with the adventure’s plot. If they spend several turns just on development, the scenario will end before it even starts.
How do they spend XP? Players spend them on two development paths: the Warrior and Wanderer paths. The Warrior path is related to combat and allows players to upgrade the dice they use in battle. Each character has a special circle with the dice available to them, and by acquiring XP, they can gain access to better dice, which provide larger shapes and more choices during specific attacks.
The Wanderer path, on the other hand, unlocks a greater selection of shapes needed to explore new areas and allows players to gain additional abilities or items that aid in exploration and survival. It also allows access to special skills related to gathering resources, such as more wood or unique resources like rumors and myths, by passing close to settlements and gathering spots.
In Thorgal: The Board Game, character development is an exciting and meaningful choice for players. It is integrated into the gameplay. Players need to weigh the importance of investing in combat or exploration, depending on what is important to them and the needs of the scenario. Players must also consider the trade-offs of spending their valuable actions on character development rather than on other objectives such as gathering allies or acquiring equipment. This makes for a fun and dynamic game experience where players must think strategically and make decisions that will impact the game’s outcome.
See you tomorrow
Thank you for today! Do not forget to vote in the poll!
Ignacy
Learn more about Thorgal: The Board Game here and choose your stretch goal here: https://gamefound.com/projects/portalgames/thorgal-the-board-game
